UNTAMED (The True Color of Adventure)

Prologue

Unsettled and restless, Ben looked lost as he paced up and down the hallway outside the labour room. Every voice seemed distant; adrenaline rushed as bubbly beads of sweat rushed down his temples to his beard in a swirly contest.

“Ben, why not take a seat for a minute? I'm sure she will be fine.”
Rose, the family's only friend doing all the running around for Caliban who had been in labour for three days urged Ben. Of a truth, she had been a good friend, the best if one could say. She had been in the hospital as early as 4:00 am since she got a call from Ben. She rushed out of the house in her nightgown with two different flip-flops. Her brown and gold hair in a
tangled mess as she had no chance to use a comb.

Looking at Ben, she felt the need to comfort him as he had been pacing around in panic for seven hours. The last seven hours of Caliban's labour had been the most unbearable for them as she bled profusely.

When immediately alarmed by the noise from the labour
room, she tied her hair into a ponytail with her black hand band, dropped the bag on her thigh and got up, moving toward Ben.

“I can't do this anymore!” Caliban screamed with her gathered strength. The frustrated nurse shouted simultaneously in response,

“Stop talking and push!”

After the sudden noise, silence again prevailed in the labour room for a few seconds.
Ben's legs went stiff, his ears erect like an elf's, and he could hear his own heartbeat.

Just as if time froze, Rose moved her legs in slow motion towards the labour room. Just then, breaking the dramatic silence was the sudden cry of a baby.
At once, all movements regained their normal paces. Rose smiled, revealing the intensity of her joy as she held her hands to her chest in relief.

“Our baby is here!” She shouted with overwhelming joy.

The loud cry of the little one filled Ben, it passed through his veins like an electric wave. He was caught aback from his lost self as he slid down the wall, sitting on the
tiled floor. The joy that paralyzes a man.

After a few minutes, the door to the labour room was opened. Caliban walked out in the company of two nurses, carrying her legs with utmost care one after the other as the nurses also walked in sync.
Ben rushed up as they walked past him, he held his hands to his mouth in happiness looking at his wife who already carried the ambience of a mother, implying that
he is now a father. They exchanged smiles as the nurses guided her diligently toward the ward. Rose gathered herself, putting together her bags and getting ready to go
into the post-natal ward after Caliban was settled.

They both rejoiced in their separate realms even though they were together in the hallway, counting the minutes for the nurses to come out of the ward. A few minutes later, the nurses walked out, Ben was too impatient to hear from them as he dashed straight into the ward. Rose
waited behind instead to ask the nurses questions relating to Caliban and the baby. The baby was being dressed and would be ready soon.

*********

Stroking Caliban's ebony hair, he wet her forehead with kisses.

“Thank you so much, honey. I love you so much,” he said a million times with the bonanza of kisses all over her face.

“Baby,” Caliban said as she struggled to get her nose off his mouth. She understood how her husband could be when overwhelmed, so she bore with the way he was obstructing her breath with kisses.

Rose entered, went straight to the table beside Caliban's bed and got warm water from a flask into a medium-sized red cup.

“Take this now,” she handed it over to
Caliban who had no choice but to obey as usual.
Apparently, Rose had been instructed by the nurses to make sure Caliban took enough warm water and some food. Hence, after she had gulped down the water, Rose took the cup from her and was ready to show her joy, she moved close to her and gave her a tight hug, sighing repeatedly in relief.

“I'm so glad,” she muttered under her
breath.

“I need to take a leak before they bring in the baby, he looked so hungry, ready to devour me.” Caliban said as they all burst into laughter.

“That's true, we didn't even confirm the gender of our baby, we were so worried
about you.” Rose said as Ben nodded in agreement with a pout. Yet another celebration, giving birth is unique but
birthing this particular gender is grand.

Gesturing to Ben to give her a hand as she tried to alight from the bed, she tied her hair into a big knot, gently putting her legs into matching flip-flops as her husband's.

“Careful baby,” Ben said as he supported her with his large fair hands. “This is so ticklish! Just get your hand away from my armpit honey,” Caliban said in laughter.

They were an interesting couple, fun to be with, and always making Rose jealous. Wonder why she was still single.
As soon as she stepped down from the bed, she staggered and regained her balance with the support of the duo.

“Take it easy Cal,” Rose said as she patted her on the back.

She felt as though her strength drained rapidly as she took each step. Taking her third step away from the bed, her strength failed, she turned pale and fell back towards the bed in the arms of her husband.